2.18.2012

Hello everyone :) Welcome to the SURPRISE birthday blog hop for the Kimber McGray!!! Not only is she a ridiculously talented paper crafter, but an absolute sweetheart & oh so funny :) I am super excited to join in celebrating Kimber's birthday and hope you all enjoy the wonderful cards & birthday wishes along the way :)

2.17.2012

Popping in to share some scrapping!!! I had a chance earlier this week to play with my Noel Mignon Charm School kit again. I don't have a lot of Valentine themed pics but this kit had a great mix of products that lent themselves to everyday pics as well :) I think I've posted this pic before & was finally happy to scrap it :)

The little hearts were punched & sewn on - I wish you could see them in real life because they really turned out cute & gave such neat dimension - scanner doesn't do it justice :)

I also have some Jillibean Soup projects to share!!! Here is one of the cards I created for CHA using the Sweet & Sour Soup line . . .

This is my favorite "Soup Quote" ever :) There are so many great ones on all the JBS stickers & die-cuts, but this one - love it!!!!!

This next project was one of my February assignments - not for CHA but it does feature a number of the new patterned papers!! By the way - the Neopolitan Bean Bisque line is awesome!!!!

Anyone looking for a sketch?? Well I have one for you that goes along with this layout :)

Feel free to grab your Jillibean Soup supplies & play along for this month's sketch challenge - all the details are HERE :)

Be back tomorrow morning to share something fun!!! Be sure to check back :)

2.10.2012

So this one is going to be all over the map, because that's kind of how I am these days :)

I have been watching The Voice - anyone else??? I was so impressed by this girl - she totally re-did a rap song with her own spin on it & I thought it was so creative. You'd have to hear the original to really appreciate it I think. I'm not a fan of rap & was very unimpressed by the original, but I think her take on it was so unique.

I have been scrapping a bit. I received my Noel Mignon Charm School kit (February) and finally had time to play with it last night. Here is what I came up with . . .

I'm kind of giddy about the border :) Silly I know, but as soon as I saw all those word bubbles on the Pebbles, Inc. patterned paper in the kit, I knew I had to cut them out :) I also trimmed off a strip of My Minds Eye patterned paper & from it cut all those little love strips. Finally, the little black strips were cut from black card stock and stuck here & there. This kit is FULL of so many fun papers & embellishments - I can't wait to play some more :)

I also found some time to play with my Studio Calico January kit (finally). There were some really great papers in this kit & the exclusive wood alphas were awesome!!

Here is a close-up of the journaling. I found this quote in THIS book & loved it :)

Oh & some pics, yes some pics :)

Sometimes, I find my way to a blog that speaks to me - does that ever happen to you?? I was peeking through my blog reader & saw Glennon had posted. If you have never been to her blog you just must. I originally traveled there for the mom stories - she is so funny & real & I love that even though we don't know one another, it is so easy to understand & appreciate & feel akin to her outlook on life as a mommy. Her blog is a mix of silly mommy stories, personal struggles, and her relationship with God. She also takes it upon herself, along with her followers to really help people out in this big wide world. I was born Catholic, and while I was a practicing Catholic while living with my parents, I did not continue after I left for college. Truth be known I always had a belief in God and really trusted in prayer. Probably looking from the outside in it may have not seemed like I placed any importance on my faith, but I did. Some of you may not have followed me long enough to know that in May of 2008 I lost my mother-in-law to cancer and then weeks later I lost my 2nd son at 24 weeks. Both circumstances were difficult & complicated & heartbreaking as loss always is. My marriage had already been in a troubled space, and the grief of our losses seemed to divide us more. And I stopped praying. A few years went by & I lost two more children during pregnancy. And then, when I had all but given up hope, I became pregnant with Nicholas. Yet I didn't pray, still. I was almost fearful to because I had in the past and I had lost, still. When Nicholas was born I watched over him, day & night. Even after we had switched him to his own room after that first month, I still slept in his room & watched over him. Every night for well past 3 months I slept with him. Finally, in that fourth month I slept in my own room. And I cried myself to sleep & I prayed. I hoped that someone up there was still listening, that maybe, just maybe I had been wrong. It is so easy to feel forsaken at times and in turn, shut yourself off from others - whether it be God or someone else. In the end, I know that struggle makes us stronger, and that sadness can give way to happiness, and it is good to trust & believe that someone up their has a plan & a path for each and every one of us :) Check out this post by Glennon - what really spoke to me was her story (towards the end of the post) titled "By God, there will be dancing". For anyone who has ever doubted, or been angry for the path there life may have taken at times - well this may just be for you :)

"The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be."